The construction industry in the United States is very important to the overall American economy. Having said that, it eliminated about 40% of its workforce between the years of 2008 and 2011. As vital as this industry is, people who work in it may find themselves needing legal representation for a number of reasons. That is where construction lawyers come into the picture.The construction industry in the United States is very important to the overall American economy. Having said that, it eliminated about 40% of its workforce between the years of 2008 and 2011. As vital as this industry is, people who work in it may find themselves needing legal representation for a number of reasons. That is where construction lawyers come into the picture.
Unlike divorce lawyers or criminal defense attorneys, many people are not quite sure what construction lawyers actually do. They work with people who work in any part of the important construction industry. These legal professionals have a very thorough and complete knowledge and understanding of all of the laws, rules, and regulations that are placed on the American construction industry. They also can be expected to understand state and local laws, rules and regulations as they are not the same all over the country.andnbsp;
Construction lawyers know more than the laws that govern a construction site. They should know the ins and outs of the construction process. They understand all of the equipment that is needs to complete a construction job as well as what construction professionals need to be hired, what training they need, what insurance needs to be procured and what needs to be done.
Construction lawyers also work with building owners. The kinds of professionals who may need to see a construction attorney include:
- Architects.
- Designers.
- Suppliers.
- Contractors and subcontractors.
These lawyers can be helpful at any stage of the construction process from the initial design phase to completion and sale of the project. They can work with people on issues such as the following, this list is not exhaustive:
- Legal conflicts.
- Regulatory guidelines and compliance.
- Budgets.
- Schedules.
- Claim submissions.
- Contractor or subcontractor terminations.
Often a construction lawyer is hired to be a resource which a project is being completed to avoid the need for litigation and to prevent certain legal problems from arising. They are great also great if arbitration is needed or to work out conflicts before they rise to the level of needing real intervention by outsiders.
If you think you need to hire a construction lawyer, there are a few things you should do to make the process go better, here are a few:
- Talk to people you know in the industry. You have friends, co-workers and maybe even family who work in the same industry as you, talk to them about whether they have ever hired a construction attorney, how they found them and what they thought of working with them. This may not be something they like to talk about so you will not really know if you know people who have had to hire this kind of lawyer.
- Talk to lawyers you know. No, the divorce lawyer who was so great cannot help you with any construction law but they may be able to set you in the direction of someone who can.
- Look online. The American Bar Associationor NOLOor your state bar association can give you a list of construction lawyers in your area. Make sure you talk to construction attorneys in your area, this is not the kind of thing you can hire a national lawyer to help you with.
- Talk to lawyers in your area. Law firms traditionally do free consultations for prospective clients, Take advantage of that to talk to a few different law firms. It may not seem like it but you need to talk to at least three different construction law firms so that you have a better idea of what your options are. This is the normal way they do business.
- Ask your questions. When you talk to law firms, you need to know that they are going to be able and available to answer your questions both before and after you hire them. If you do not feel that they are, you should keep going in your search for the right construction lawyer.
